The Annex Rebrands, Grows Local Offering & Services (EXCLUSIVE)
Australian music marketing business The Annex continues its growth trajectory after another year of solid results for the local musicians that make up its client list.
TMN can today reveal the business has launched its new corporate identity and updated list of clients, while also adding new specialist services including Community Management and Tour Marketing to its offering.
Over the last year, The Annex has expanded its diverse roster of both domestic and international acts to include the likes of Tiny Habits, Willow, The Rions, Tiffi, Grinspoon, and Ninajarachi.
Recently, The Annex has also branched into community management, working with artists including Jessica Mauboy, Emily Wurramarra, Spiderbait, Grinspoon and Royel Otis.
Mauboy’s manager and Artizanx co-founder & director, Ken Outch, said: “We’re excited about joining forces with The Annex as they continue to grow in the digital marketing space. Artizanx continues to explore ways of connecting to audiences for their artists and we’re looking forward to how we continue that journey for Jess with the Annex team.”
The Annex now boasts a range of services that drive sustainable artist development and audience growth, including tailored and flexible digital marketing strategies, community management, tour marketing, content creation and planning, scheduling and production, DSP strategy, media buying and management support.
The Annex worked on grassroots campaigns behind 22 nominations at this year’s ARIA Awards, including FISHER (etc etc Music), Emily Wurramara (ABC), Lime Cordiale (Chugg), Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers (Domestic LaLa), Hiatus Kaiyote (Ninja Tune/Brainfeeder), Mia Dyson (MGM), Casey Barnes (Chugg), Sycco (Future Classic), The Beefs (AWAL) and Bluey (BBC/The Orchard). Alongside this, working closely with Ourness management team, Royel Otis garnered eight ARIA nominations, the most of any artist in 2024.
The team has undergone several staffing updates in recent years. Launched in 2018, The Annex continues to be led by Caught alongside Natasha Shehata, who oversees business development and collaborates closely with Hannah Heyen leading on artist marketing, and Elinor Williams, who manages the digital marketing and community management arm of the business with Elfira Vania and Will Patson.
Shehata joined from the U.K. in 2023, after serving as head of artist development at AWAL and holding roles at independent labels over the past 10 years, while Williams joined The Annex in 2021 following stints at TMRW Music, Ministry Of Sound and having co-founded artist management and music marketing business Good Sorts. The Annex also works alongside Sarah Hamilton of Golden Hour music consulting across DSP Pitching.
The team has delivered a multitude of Top 10 ARIA Album and Single campaigns in the last 12 months, including Shaboozey “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” which held No. 1 for five consecutive weeks (the first independent single to reach No. 1 in five years), and Lime Cordiale’s album Enough of the Sweet Talk which hit No. 1 on the ARIA Chart in August (the first No. 1 independent Australian album in 2024).
The Annex’s Caught said: “The first five years of The Annex has been such a steep learning curve, and the team have really helped shape and make the company even stronger post-COVID. I’m excited about the next steps we are taking – moving into community management and tour marketing, alongside the recorded music services we’ve always offered. Our new logo and rebranding not only shows the strength we are building in the marketplace, but the colourful attitude we are taking into it. We really feel that the global and local success that our client family are experiencing currently heralds the next phase of Australian music – and we can’t wait to see what it brings.”